Theater Review: The Lion in Winter

We’ll never be royals.

Northwest Classical Theatre’s production of The Lion in Winter might as well be called Game of Thrones: Christmas Edition.
Director Elizabeth Huffman has given James Goldman’s play modern
scenery, an upscale living room decked out with cheerful Christmas
décor. But don’t let that fool you. The story, set circa 1183, centers
on King Henry II of England as he and his queen Eleanor battle over
which son will inherit the throne. There’s Richard, the warrior;
Jeffrey, the forgotten; and John, Daddy’s favorite and the fool, right
down to his untucked shirt and rainbow-colored vest. Tensions rise and
fall as brother betrays brother, mother betrays son, father betrays
everyone—but the real fun comes in watching Marilyn Stacey weave Queen
Eleanor’s web as deliberately and gracefully as a spider intent on a big
and delicious payoff. At one moment despondent at Henry’s latest move
and then smiling the next, Stacey’s performance constantly surprises,
and she cries, smirks and bickers her way through the play’s most
dangerous and emotional moments. All the manipulation and backstabbing
can grow overwhelming in the 2½-hour runtime, but The Lion in Winter should still tide over hungry Game of Thrones fans until the spring.